Breathe
by tocilar
Summary: FIRST CHAPTERS BEING EDITED. Loki has fallen. He lands upon Earth some three months after the incident on the BiFrost and right right into the life of Rachel Dawlish. Curious, confused and brazen, the god of mischief is going to be tested to his limits when new threats arise on Earth and he becomes drawn into the seductive side of chaos. Pre-movie.
1. Prologue

**Breathe**

**Summary: **Loki has fallen. Fallen right into the life of book editor Rachel Dawlish. Curious, confused and brazen, the god of mischief is going to be tested to his limits when new threats arise on Earth. Loki/OC. Post-movie.

**Rating:** M for adult situations, language and later chapters.

**Genre:** Romance/Drama/Adventure.

**Author's Note:** Well not much to say really here save that I saw Thor and I loved it, though as much as I love fellow Aussie Chris Hemsworth representing Australia proud in that movie I fell for - of course - the bad guy, of sorts. Really he was both a bad guy and a good guy when you think about it but haha enough before I ramble on. Anyway this is a short beginning, a simple one that will lead to bigger and better things and I hope you all enjoy. It is set after the film events.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Thor or anything else recognized. I merely own my OC Rachel Dawlish and the story arc. I make no profit from this fanfiction. It is made purely for entertainment.

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><p><strong>Prologue<br>**

Darkness surrounded him. A feeling of an eternal, endless fall with the impending weight of a sudden stop hung in the air. He was alive; Loki Odin-son, the god of mischief was alive. How? He did not quite know. He only knew that he should in fact, be dead. He had let go of his father's staff; accepting that he was not worthy to live among his family after all he had done, tried to do to them, even if it was in the name of good and honest intentions.

His brother had caused the situation; Thor, the arrogant and over-confident _boy_ within a man's body had tried to conquer the frost giants and in turn brought about so much drama and strife and revelations.

Loki knew what he was now; knew he was different to any other in Asgard; knew where his unique power came from.

When he and Thor had been hanging from the BiFrost, Loki knew what he had to do, was meant to do. Any other would hate their own sibling for causing so many problems with but a single action of disobedience.

However, he did not hate his brother who had become wise in that short time on Earth; he commended him for sacrificing his chance at ever seeing that mortal woman again in order to destroy the BiFrost.

Loki knew Thor hadn't wanted him to let go but he had failed to prove his worth to his father, prove what a leader _he_ could be. He had wanted to prove that he could bring about the destruction of the Frost Giants, even if they were in fact, his true kind. He did not dwell on that piece of knowledge, that revelation. They were not his family. He had been born too small to be considered one of their own and would've been an outcast among them.

There was something different about him, even for the son of a Frost Giant. He craved raw power, craved strength beyond imagining. He was a danger, not only to himself but to those around him also.

And so- Loki had made the choice.

He'd let go.

He'd fallen...


	2. Chapter 1

**Wow! You lovelies are marvellous, thank you _soooo_ much for all your reviews. I think I'm going like being in this fandom a lot with all of you. Anyway I thought I'd give you a nice long chapter. I love listening to music for inspiration and this chapter was written to _"The Feel Good Drag"_ by Anberlin, I love this song so much and have had it on constant repeat. S.H.I.E.L.D will come into the story, as they play a major part later down the track- I finally got it all worked out! Haha! I am such a genius. **

**Anyway, moving on to the chapter- enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Thor looked out over the golden city that was his homeland. Asgard seemed more like a gilded cage to him now that he had returned from Midgard and all he had experienced while there. He knew now his actions on Jotunheim which had led to his banishment had been brash and foolish. He'd learned his lesson even though it had cost so much in the process; his father's health, the destruction of the BiFrost, the loss of his brother and almost civil war.

Breathing out a heavy sigh, he folded his arms against the railing of the balcony. The weight he felt from the loss of Loki was almost unbearable to him. His little brother was gone and would never return.

After Odin and Heimdall had pulled him from the edge of the bridge and brought him back to the palace, his father had explained the true origin of his younger brother to him.

Thor was not dense enough to not know that his father believed that had been the reason why Loki had done what he'd done. No, Loki had tried to prove himself better than Thor. He understood now why Loki had been so skilled in the magical arts from a young age and why he had always been different to everyone else.

The knowledge of Loki being the abandoned son of the Frost Giant king Laufey did not deter Thor from thinking of him as a brother. They had been raised together; spent years at each others side and no matter his origins, Thor would still have called him brother, opened his arms to him and forgiven him. Even if others such as Sif and the Warriors Three would not.

"What troubles you, my son?"

He started and straightened up as he turned to find his mother standing in the doorway of his rooms. She glided over to him, her eyes expressing her sorrow and worry and Thor found his eyes diverting to anything but hers. He could not swallow the guilt that rose in his chest at his mother showing her pain over the loss of his brother, her son.

"Nothing mother," he replied, attempting to smile brightly at her but even he knew it would not reach his eyes.

"You miss him," she stated and with a frown, she reached up to tuck his hair back behind his ear as she smiled mournfully at him. "Both your father and I do also."

He nodded before taking her hand and kissing the palm affectionately. "I miss her also."

Jane. His heart pounded in his chest as he thought of her. Not only had he lost his brother because of this mess but he had also lost her. The BiFrost had been the only way to travel between the nine worlds and with its destruction they were no longer able to contact Midgard or any other realm.

He would visit Heimdall, the gatekeeper, quite often and would listen to him as he spoke of what Jane was doing.

Part of him hoped that each time he arrived Heimdall would have news that she had found a way to travel between the worlds but no such news ever came.

Frigga smiled at him and inclined her head. "You have changed so much from your time on Midgard. You shall make a truly great king when your time comes my son."

Thor did not reply. He turned and glanced out over the city again and felt his mother's hand on his arm as she stood silently at his side.

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><p>Rachel sighed as she pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and her cobalt blue eyes scanned the first page of the manuscript she was about to begin editing. Sitting in the middle of the queen sized-bed; manuscripts piled round her, a travel mug of hot chocolate resting between her legs which were crossed beneath her as she pulled the lid off her red pen and pushed her bangs back from her face, tucking them behind heavily pierced ears.<p>

This was what she loved; a stormy night where she could just hide in her bed and edit novel manuscripts. It was her solace from the crazy world outside of that security blanket.

The television was playing in the far corner. The weather forecast was playing and she watched as they predicted heavy rainfall and storms, even possible blackouts and she frowned at the idea of losing power.

If there was one thing Rachel hated more than anything else it was the dark. She couldn't stand the idea of not being able to see. It terrified her beyond words; more than heights. The small fireplace in the back left corner of her room was always burning lightly, ensuring no matter what, she would have some source of light and heat.

"May as well make the most of the power while I've got it," she remarked to thin air and dove into the fantasy novel by some fledging writer looking to have it published with Iconic Books, the company she worked for.

She was the red marker that cut out the useless bits, made the author rethink their use of dialogue and characterization and all the perks that came with being the top editor of one of the largest fantasy book publishing companies in America. On a daily basis she would read through two manuscripts and then re-read them the next day and set to work with her trusty red ballpoint pen.

Though Rachel was a writer herself, she had never been courageous enough to submit her manuscript into the company, believing her stories were lacking that special something that it truly needed.

With a dejected sigh as her thoughts trailed off, and how distracted it was beginning to become, Rachel put down her pen and climbed from her sanctuary, heading for the windows.

Outside those long glass windows thunder and lightning rolled wildly through the sky, as though a war was being waged above the clouds tonight. Leaning against the ice cold glass, she hummed to herself thinking about what her father would say if he knew she was just some editor and not a big shot author like he had been.

"Sorry Pops, I just don't have your guts or a good enough story to tell," she whispered to thin air, as though he was standing right behind her before she turned and crawled back into her hideaway just as the power blacked out.

Squeaking in fright, she huffed and fell back into the blankets.

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><p>With the power still out come morning, Rachel stumbled out of bed and into a cold shower. The storm from last night had calmed down to nothing more than a steady drizzle outside and she dressed for the cold; jeans and an old rock band t-shirt before covering it with a jumper and her favourite pair of flat boots.<p>

She generally wouldn't go to work on a Friday but she wanted to get some more manuscripts and make sure Kelly, one of the other editors beneath her, had finished going over a novel of one of their best selling client's third book in an urban fantasy series which was meant to be done three days ago. When it came to Kelly, of course, the twenty-one year old seemed to be more interested in the latest celebrity or office gossip going round than actually doing the work on time.

Aside from the wannabe movie star that was Kelly, Rachel liked the editors who worked with her. Andrew was the best gay friend any straight woman could have and he was probably that and more to Rachel on a daily basis; Samantha was a hard worker but quite the cow when she didn't get her way while her newest editor Emily seemed to love following her around the office all day and make it a particular habit to get in the way or distract Rachel at the worst times with unnecessary questions.

Rachel was one of only three people who had been with the company for more than ten years and she had no plans of leaving it anytime and that was why she took so much pride and vigilance with her work. Written words were her life. Her editors had to keep a standard or they were booted out the door.

Locking her apartment door, Rachel headed down the seven flights of stairs leading to the ground floor of her building passing by a few of the other tenants in the building along the way as she turned her iPod on and picked out her favourites playlist smiling as RED began to blast into her ears.

She stepped out into the street and felt the soft drizzle of rain beat down on her skin before she pulled her hood up, sheltering herself. Today was not going to be the nicest of days; she just had a feeling that always meant something bad was going to happen before the day was done.

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><p>By lunchtime all her errands were done and her stop in at work had left her feeling in need of a stiff drink- if that was, she actually did drink to begin with. Andrew had thankfully made the save and suggested lunch at a nice little cafe close to her building and that was when Rachel's day made a turn for the worst.<p>

She fell down into the booth opposite the blond and smiled weakly at him as he handed her a menu. There was no waitress coming to them yet but she preferred not wasting their time or her own when it came to orders. As she looked over the menu she could feel Andrew eying her.

"Why you eying me off for?" she inquired, dropping the menu onto the table between them as she looked at her friend.

For a gay man he certainly didn't look it in her opinion, he never had to her which was probably why most women who eyed him off didn't understand why he didn't even give them a second glance.

"No reason. Just like eying my lovely off," he replied, sticking his tongue out at her and she blushed before shaking her head at him.

"Well don't, it puts me on edge," she told him and was saved from anything further by the waitress coming over to take their order.

Andrew looked at her and chuckled as the waitress winked at him before turning and walking off. She couldn't help but giggle slightly at the nerve of the woman. Who was to say that she wasn't his girlfriend and the not so meek type who would hurt anyone who looked at him?

"So... My Rachel, what is eating at you?" he inquired, gaining her attention.

She sighed heavily. "Nothing much, I just haven't been as _energetic_ about things is all. It is just one of those times where you feel like you're doing nothing in life and stuck in a rut," she explained in earnest and watched as he leaned his head in his hands and studied her.

They were best friends. Rachel told him everything and anything and he in turn did the same. There were no secrets between them. He knew everything about her; from her natural hair colour, her first kiss to her problem with depression and anxiety. Andrew knew her moods also like the back of his hand.

"Darlin' we all have periods of time like that, remember me and my chubby stage, eh?" he remarked playfully, wriggling his eyebrows as she nodded slowly.

"Yeah but at least you have Daniel to go home to. What do I have? Who do I have?" she said and threw her hands up in frustration, knocking over the sugar pot accidentally. Looking at the spilled contents she sighed heavily and shook her head slowly, shoulders sagging. "I just- I want to know what it is like to have someone. I'm twenty-seven and never had a boyfriend. I feel like an ugly duckling half-"

"You're hardly an ugly duckling gorgeous," he interrupted while he cleaned up the sugar. "And Mr. Perfect for Miss Oh-So-Meek-and-Mild Rachel is out there."

She scoffed. "And what is the bet I'll fall head over heels for him and it'll end up with him being some great big joke or facade?" she muttered, disheartened at the thoughts in her head.

Andrew chuckled. "And what is the bet you'll make him go from bad to good boy in a heartbeat when he falls right into your lap and takes one look at that pretty smile and dark eyes?"

Rachel batted her hand at him which made him chuckle just as her phone went off in her pocket. Frowning at the unknown number, she answered it. The words that came down the end of the line made her heart seize up in her chest and eyes water as Andrew asked her what was wrong.

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><p>Sighing heavily as she sat in the car with Andrew, she looked out at the black horizon and then up at the stars. Thankfully the rain had eased off during the day but it had remained cloudy and now as she looked out, she could see a star travelling through up there and smiled at the rarity of it.<p>

Andrew was singing along with Anberlin's _Feel Good Drag_ as they headed down the long stretch of road towards Massachusetts.

"I'm sure she'll be okay hun." It was barely audible and she nodded her head silently.

She didn't want to talk because she knew she'd end up crying if she did. The idea of her mother having a stroke and being in a hospital left Rachel barely able to function properly. Losing one parent to a car accident and the nearly losing the other to a stroke was terrifying.

Rachel was not foolish she knew in the end people would pass on, they couldn't live forever but she felt like her father had gone long before he'd meant to and her mother was as healthy as an ox for a fifty-five year old.

A tremor ran through her suddenly. "What was that?"

She looked at Andrew. He'd felt it too?

A deep rumbling and shuddering beneath the car made him slam on the brakes. Lightening pierced the ground further up the road. Looking at each other, they both scrambled out of the car and looked up at the night sky as the trembling shook the ground again. Shades of purple, blue and white danced round the sky. "Wow!"

Andrew had come up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder as they watched the incredible display and for a moment she was hypnotised by the beauty of the sight.

"Wonder what is making it do that?" she whispered, still awestruck.

Rachel remembered hearing about the events in New Mexico that had occurred a few weeks ago on the news and thought they were one and the same and it had moved north-west over the weeks, rebuilding its wraith, as far as she knew they had been freak storms and last night and today could have been the pre-emptive warning of this strange and hauntingly beautiful occurrence.

A high pitched squeal suddenly pierced the silence and she winced, cringing and hiding in against Andrew as it grew in pitch and became unbearable to the point they both fell to their knees, covering their ears and trying to block out the sound. His arms were wrapped around her tightly and she glanced out just as lightening pierced the ground barely ten feet from them.

Her eyes widened and a scream escaped her, heart pounding wildly in her ears.

Then there was only silence.


	3. Chapter 2

Hey all! I know I promised this sooner but alas, distractions and real life hate me. I want to thank you for all who reviewed and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Next one will be up WAY sooner than this one. I have a tumblr and twitter hooked up and there will be graphic for this story up on here and there for this fic.

Anyway, again thank you to any and all who reviewed (if I didn't personally reply to you, I am sorry), I hope you enjoy this and the preview.

Don't forget to drop a review! :D

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<strong>

Rachel opened her eyes; wincing as white spots clouded her vision. The silence that had come after the painful noise was heavy, as though something in the air was wrong. Shakily getting to her feet, with some help from Andrew, she glanced at the car and was somewhat relieved to find it was not harmed.

Confused over what had happened, she scanned the area. The strange phenomenon had come so fast and disappeared just as quickly.

Her eyes then began to notice it. Scorched patches lay near them and it was as she followed them that her eyes fell on the strangest and certainly most out of place thing. A mass of something lay in a heap among the largest patches of scorched earth.

Rachel's curiosity got the better of her and she slowly began to inch closer to what the mass was. Andrew had hold of her arm and tried to pull her in the direction of the car the closer they got.

"Hey Rach, I don't think we should go near it, I could be an alien and I don't feel like being abducted and probed tonight," he remarked, gently tugging on her arm.

Though amused by her friend's words, Rachel only shook her head and made him let her go; he did so but with great reluctance.

Just four more steps and she would be right next to the thing. As she drew closer to the mass, her eyes slowly began to notice something odd about the unknown thing. A light bulb went off in her head and she gasped, a hand covering her mouth as she moved faster towards the thing.

Stopping right beside it, her heart leapt into her throat. The ghost white mass was human; a man lay curled into a ball on the blackened ground, unmoving.

"What on earth?" she whispered to herself as she dropped down to her knees beside the man. With the utmost care, she took hold of his shoulder and turned him very cautiously onto his back. Her hand brushed ink black hair from his forehead, studying his face for any damage before her fingers grazed over his cheek and slipped to the pulse point on his neck.

It was there but it was faint. Rachel shivered as her fingers moved around his head, checking from any injury. The man was almost ice cold to touch and Rachel's eyes flashed with curiosity and concern as to where the man had come from so suddenly, especially considering the strange occurrence that had just happened.

Fearful that moving him too much may injure him more so than he already may be, Rachel released his shoulder gently and glanced down over his torso before a startling realization made a deep scarlet blush rise on her cheeks; he wasn't wearing any clothes.

"Get me a blanket from the trunk," she told Andrew, glancing over her shoulder to where he stood some few feet away after finally shaking herself of her embarrassment. Andrew nodded quickly and rushed back to his car.

Turning back to the strange man, Rachel let out a small cry of surprise when a hand wrapped around her throat suddenly and she found herself being roughly jerked closer to the strange man's face. Hauntingly pale green eyes stared back into terrified blue ones. She could see the confusion and terror she felt mirrored in his eyes.

The grip on her throat slackened a little. He didn't have much strength. "Who- Who are you?" he choked out.

"I'm Rachel," she said softly, slowly taking hold of his hand that held her throat and pulled it free tentatively, her fingers brushing over ice cold skin. She shivered a little but wrapped her other hand around his larger one. She rubbed the skin, hoping to warm him slightly as the worry of him becoming sick from the cold picked at her brain.

Andrew came to her side and carefully dropped the blanket over the man and began muttering about getting him to the hospital.

As he went back to the car again to start it and open one of the back doors, Rachel kept her attention on the strange man who was staring at her through half shut eyes.

"Rachel," he whispered just his eyes rolled backwards and he slumped back onto the ground, unconscious. Rachel still had her two smaller ones wrapped round one of his.

"Come on. I need to get him in the car, we still have a bit of a drive before we get to Boston," Andrew stated as he moved to the other side of the man and lifted him from the ground with a grunt. "Jeez! Skinny arse is heavier than he damn well looks!"

Rachel, despite the situation smiled a little at her friend before she cast her eyes back to the face of the unconscious man, biting her lip in worry.

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><p>Her eyes slipped down over the raven coloured hair she was absently stroking back from a high, pale forehead as she sat in the back seat of the car, the man's head resting in her lap.<p>

They were roughly twenty minutes or so from Boston and Rachel was trying to figure out what may have happened to the man for him to end up on the side of the road without any clothes on.

Andrew had turned the heater on when she'd said his skin wasn't warming up from where she was rubbing his arms and shoulders, mounting her confusion even higher when he still remained cold.

"Did you get a name?" Andrew inquired from the front seat, piercing the silence and startling her a little from her reprieve.

"No," she answered as her eyes followed her fingers as they traced down the man's face and she smiled a little. He was quite attractive in her opinion, even with this current situation she did not fail to notice how he looked. He was sharp and defined and already she knew how captivating his pale green eyes were.

Rachel tilted her head a little as she saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly as her thumb came close to it.

He was most definitely the type of man who looked like he could have the world at his fingertips on a good day. "He looked terrified."

It was as though he didn't know whether he was dead or alive. She'd spent so many years studying people when they conveyed feeling and the glimpse of terror on the handsome face of this stranger had left her feeling sorry for him. Whatever had happened to him, it was as though it had left him terribly scarred on the inside.

"Wouldn't you be as well, if you woke up naked on the side of the road with some standing over you?" Andrew shot back and she nodded. He did have a point there but still... There was something else, she just knew it.

As she rested her hand over his shoulder and leaned her head back against the seat, Rachel glanced out the window to stare at the world beyond the glass as it rushed by. He was lucky for their timing and their choice to stop in the middle of whatever had happened otherwise he probably would've been left there until he'd woken up or someone else found him.

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><p>Andrew leaned in the doorframe of the room, watching Rachel's shoulder slump with each breath she took while sitting beside her mother's bed. They'd gotten there three hours ago and after handing their roadside pick-up off to the more capable hands of the emergency crew they had rushed through the wings and levels to find Elena.<p>

The old woman was feisty as an old bat and energetic to boot for a woman who'd just suffered a stroke but as the doctor had explained to a panicked Rachel that is was a minor stroke and they were lucky she was so healthy.

His eyes followed the way she was stroking her mother's hand gently as they spoke to one another and smiled a little before turning and heading off towards the waiting area, giving them some privacy.

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><p>Rachel was on the verge of tears as she listened to her mother recounting a time when her own father had suffered a stroke and they'd turned off his life support a few days after because the damage it had done had been so severe.<p>

"Mom, can we –could we not talk about grandpa?" she asked softly. "I nearly lost you and I don't need to be reminded of how much worse your condition could've been."

"Of course, dear," she replied and patted Rachel's hand gently before she looked to the door momentarily, then back to her daughter. "So, what took you so long to get here?"

Rachel sighed. Where did she start? How would she start the answer to that question?

She opted for the safer and short answer. "I had to notify work that I was coming down here for a few days, then I had to pack and on the way here Andrew and I sort of got caught up in a freak storm. Was the weirdest but most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Rachel explained, leaving out the fact that they'd also picked up quite an interesting man after said storm. "So, the doc said you would be okay to go home in a day or two."

"Yes, and I do not need a babysitter either," her mother commented, pointing towards her daughter with a stern look on her face. Rachel sighed heavily.

"Mom, you can't expect me to just go back home and leave you to fend for yourself after having a stroke it isn't-"

"A minor stroke and in a few days I will be fine," Elena interrupted and shook her head. "When I'm old and crotchety and need a walker to get round _then_ and only then will you coming back and helping your dear mommy."

Rachel scoffed the smallest of smirks on her lips. "You are already old and crotchety," she teased and quickly got out of way of her mother's reach when the woman made a grab for her.

"Ooo you little- How is it that you can be such a little minx any time you're around me but you can't even get a date?" her mother questioned and Rachel look at her with a glower.

"Maybe because my ideal man does not exist and I prefer living in dreams and ideas than going through men like I go through pens all to try and find a _suitable_ one," she shot back, arms folded over her chest.

At the mention of ideal men, Rachel remembered the stranger that they'd left in the emergency. She wondered if he was awake yet and alright.

"Mom, as much as I love our little "chats" about me and my social life would it be alright if Andrew sat with you for a while, I just want to step out for some fresh air?"

"I'd love for him to," she replied, not pushing the matter of dates and men for which Rachel was grateful for. She couldn't help but return the large smile that graced her mother's aging features as she headed out to collect her friend for his designated babysitting job.

Shutting the door gently as she left, Rachel sighed heavily and glanced down either end of the hallway before heading right and towards the waiting room.

Andrew got to his feet and greeted her before she had a chance to say anything; his arms came round her tightly. "How is she?" he asked.

"She is good. The doctor said she'll be right to leave in a few days if she keeps going how she has been. They just have some more tests to do today and tomorrow to ensure that everything is fine," she replied, pulling back from him. She jerked her thumb in the direction she'd just come from. "Mind sitting with her for a little bit? I just want to go and get some fresh air."

Andrew merely quirked an eyebrow but shook his head after a moment and headed for her mother's room.

She walked towards the elevators and hit the button for the ground floor.

Reaching the reception desk, Rachel smiled at the middle-aged nurse who gave her a warm smile in greeting and she figured that she probably looked a little frazzled after the events up until now.

"Hey darlin', what can I do for you?" she remarked and Rachel gave her a small smile in return.

"My friend and I brought a man into the emergency a few hours ago, I was just wondering if you'd be able to tell me how he is doing?" she stated, tapping her fingers on the desk gently as the woman typed something into the computer.

"Sorry love, could I get his name?"

Drats she thought, wishing she could bang her head against the desk.

"I don't know his name. He never gave me one when we found him. He is pale, thin and has ink black hair, it's _longish_," she said, hoping a vague description of the man would help. It was not like a man like him popped into view every five seconds.

"Oh! Of course, the handsome looking one who was naked," the woman remarked triumphantly and then directed her towards the emergency ward and gave her a room number.

Rachel listened absently to the sounds of the hospital life around her as she headed down the hallway towards her destination, hugging her jacket tighter round herself as a cold chill crept up her spine. She didn't know why she had come down here to check on the strange but as she came to a halt outside the room marked with the number eleven, Rachel felt a pull towards the room.

Knocking gently, she opened the door and stepped inside to find a nurse standing over the man who she'd found on the roadside checking on his vitals.

They'd dressed him in a hospital gown and he had a number of blankets covering him from the waist down. She blushed slightly remembering the fact that he had been stark naked when she and Andrew had found him.

"Oh!" Both Rachel and the nurse jumped. The nurse apologised quickly. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry for sneaking in," Rachel remarked, moving closer to the woman as she kept her eyes on the man resting in the bed. "How is he?"

"The emergency said he is perfectly healthy, though they are trying to get his body temperature up. It is abnormally cold for someone so healthy. Otherwise they just said he needed rest," the nurse explained before glancing at Rachel and then to the patient. "Are you a relation? His wife or girlfriend?"

A little shocked and embarrassed, Rachel held her hands up and quickly shook her head. "No, no, no. I don't know him at all. My friend and I found him just outside of the city."

The nurse bit her tongue, reddening in the face. "Sorry, I just assumed what with you coming in to check on him."

Rachel laughed a little. "It is fine, honestly. I was just concerned about him and wanted to know if he was alright."

The nurse nodded before excusing herself and quietly departing from the room. Without the nurse there, Rachel boldly closer to the bed until she was standing right beside it and gazed down at the resting man.

"Who are you?" she whispered curiously before reaching out and taking hold of his hand gently in one of hers. She tentatively entwined her fingers with his and rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand in small circles.

Rachel reached up with her other hand and smoothed his hair back from his forehead; smiling a little at how adorable this man was whilst asleep.

Then it happened. She almost jerked back in surprise, her eyes darting to their joined hands, when his hand clenched slightly round her own and a groan slipped past his lips. Reaching over she pressed the button to call somebody in just before she looked at his face.

Her heart froze in her chest; voice caught in her throat as her eyes remained locked with those pale green ones.

"Rachel."


	4. Chapter 3

**I finally worked this chapter out! Thank you one and all who have read, reviewed, alerted and/or favourited this story so far, I promise for weekly updates from now on. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, things might seem like they are going a tad slow but it will pick up I promise but I am never one for rushing things.**

**Don't forget to let me know what you all think! Next update will be Tear the World Down and a new Fandral story I'm working on and then this one again all within the week- thank you wisdom teeth surgery you are a painful blessing in disguise.**

**Any and all mistakes left in this are mine and I apologize for what ones will be in here. I'm half dead at the moment but wanted to get this up for you all. I shall re-re-edit this chapter more thoroughly tomorrow. **

**I am looking for anyone who is willing to be a beta for me, to help me with all chapters previously written and those to come, as I know I am not entirely up to scratch: brings of lots of spoilers and sneak peeks with me to the taker.**

**Don't forget to hit that nice little button that comes after the chapter, I love knowing what you all think.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE<strong>

Rachel felt as though she were staring into the very depths of sorrow itself. When gazing into them, one could see a thousand memories racing through his mind at once and clearly they were painful by the hurt resonating in his eyes.

She was vaguely aware of his hand clenching tighter around hers.

He repeated her name; voice hoarse.

Tearing her eyes away from his, Rachel managed to find her voice, albeit it being shaky. "H- How do you- you feel?" she inquired.

The look on his face showed his wariness of her but she could sense that he also seemed to hold some slight form of trust towards her.

"Fine," he croaked, pushing himself up into a sitting position and looking down upon his body. "Where are my clothes?"

Rachel blushed somewhat at remembering how she had found him naked. "You uh, weren't- were not wearing any clothes when my friend and I found you," she remarked cautiously.

She noticed him look at her from the corner of his eyes and leaned back slightly, turning to face the door as it opened suddenly and a nurse rushed in followed closely by the doctor.

The doctor pulled her aside in order to examine the man within the bed, who seemed to recoil from him like some wounded animal that was cornered. Her hand was wrenched from his at the sudden action and she stepped back to allow them to do their job.

The scowl upon the freshly awakened man's face was almost laughable. He looked as though he wished to blast them into tiny particles.

The nurse and doctor spoke to him, attempting to calm him however it seemed to be in vain as when the doctor attempted to touch his wrist, he began to struggle.

"Get away from me before I show you what I am truly capable of," he snarled when the doctor pushed him down by the shoulder to the bed.

Rachel frowned, his accent was almost British and at the same time it was laced by another deeper one.

"Please sir, you need to relax for us," the nurse instructed though it was evidently futile to their cause for he merely growled at her.

As the doctor touched his arm, the man grabbed him by the throat and Rachel winced, remembering how the same thing had happened to her only hours prior, though she gathered his grip would have been considerably weaker than it was now as she heard the doctor groan and gasp.

The nurse cried out in dismay, still trying to restrain the man to the bed.

Rachel realised the confusion and terror upon the stranger's face and stepped forward, feeling bad for him in his obviously foreign surroundings and crowded by strangers. She had already gathered there was something quite out of place about him, what that was – she did not yet know but Rachel would not stand there and not try and remedy the situation currently taking place.

"They just want to make sure you are alright," she said gently and watched as he glanced at her, eyes narrowed in a clear warning.

"I wish them to leave me be, I am fine as they can clearly see," he retorted, his eyes shifting to the nurse who took a sudden step back from the bed and released his arm which she had been trying to restrain.

"Well if you let go of his throat, I am certain he would be more than happy to agree with you on that matter," Rachel told him, giving him the smallest of smiles as she reached out to take hold of his hand around the doctor's throat.

She had no idea whether he would suddenly attack her now she had injected herself into the situation but Rachel decided that if he had not hurt her only moments ago then she gathered that she had some strange advantage presently, or at least, more so than the doctor did.

As she made to pull his fingers from round the poor doctor's throat his grip tightened and he growled at her.

Glaring in return, Rachel forcibly pried his fingers back and smiled a little at the doctor as he fell to the floor, gasping for breath. The nurse rushed round to check on him.

"I'm fine," he murmured, eyes on the man in the bed as he rubbed his throat. "I think it is quite evident you are ready for release. Nurse, get the paperwork that he'll need to fill out."

Once on his feet, both he and the nurse left hurriedly.

Rachel felt the fingers she had just pulled from round the doctor's throat grip her wrist tightly. Her heart began to race wildly.

It happened all too fast for her to react. He tugged her toward the bed and she wound up on the stranger's lap; his fingers curled round her jaw.

* * *

><p>Wide blue eyes stared into his; full of fear and surprise. He glared at her as he watched her delicate fingers move to grip his wrist, attempting to free herself.<p>

"Who are you?" he demanded, wanting to know who this woman was and why she felt the need to intervene on matters that did not include her.

She stilled and looked directly at him. "I'm Rachel, I- I helped you," she choked out.

Loki frowned before he pulled her from across his lap and let her go, moving to stand up from the bed. He swayed slightly and found arms grabbing hold of him; steadying his exhausted limbs.

Feeling a chill run up his back, Loki glanced down. What in the name of Vanaheim was he wearing? Pulling at the strange piece of clothing, he glanced round at his back and found it was not completely covering him and that it was the _only_ item of clothing on his bruised body. He had simply believed that the woman, Rachel, had meant that his armour had been gone; not every single shred of his clothing.

He glanced at the woman standing before him with frown. "What is this thing?" he asked, sneering at the item he was pulling at.

"A hospital gown," she replied as she let him go and took a step back. "They couldn't leave you without any clothes on. The nurses might not have left your side otherwise."

He nodded albeit a little confused as to why he had been stripped bare of his clothes and weapons when in the vortex of the destroyed bi-frost.

"And where am I presently, Rachel?" he pressed, wondering just where he had ended up on Midgard and why he was still alive.

There was only one other question that he wished answered; was he a god still?

She seemed to frown at the floor for a moment before her gaze rose to meet his. "Boston, Massachusetts," she answered.

What an unusual name for a dwelling he thought to himself before glancing at the mortal woman before him.

This mortal had found him. He remembered only fragments of her and the feel of fingers brushing across his skin in a tender gesture. He shook the feelings and recollections aside.

"Thank you for your aid," he said, inclining his head slightly. "I would like to know if there were any clothes I might change into. I regret that this current article of clothing is not particularly practical."

She suddenly laughed and he frowned deeply; not understanding what was so amusing to her.

* * *

><p>Rachel could not help it as she began laughing. His way of speech was so abnormal that it was almost comical to listen to him.<p>

Where on earth had he been raised?

He sounded as though he had been in a time warp of the eighteenth century. While the way of speech was quite nice in comparison to most of the vernacular used in this day and age, it sounded so odd to hear a normal person speaking in such a way.

"What may I ask is so amusing?"

She bit her lip, trying to stifle her laughter. Finally regaining her composure she glanced up into his face and found herself being caught yet again by his eyes. Looking into them this time, she noted that his whole facial expression seemed as though he was thinking of a million things within mere seconds.

It was extraordinary and quite intriguing to her how one man could be seemingly thinking so much at once.

"I'm sorry, it's just the way you talk is very strange," she said, apologizing in earnest, "You speak as though you might belong in a Jane Austen novel."

She saw him frown. Had she said something too offensive or harsh?

"Jane Austen?"

Her eyes widened slightly. This man looked as though he was highly educated, even standing before her in an oversized hospital gown and completely dishevelled. And yet, he did not know who Jane Austen was? He must have hit his head fairly hard.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

Rachel glanced round and noted the small cabinet on the far side of the room. Quirking an eyebrow, she held a finger up. "Give me a second."

He opened his mouth as though to speak but she quickly crawled over the spare bed that was in the room and opened the cabinet. Smiling in triumph at not having to deal with the nurse for a little longer, Rachel pulled out the sets of clothes she found in there. Of course, they were the most basic of clothes; track pants and a matching jacket but they would do him better than that gown.

"What's your colour?" she inquired, turning to face the man who was looking at her in utter bewilderment. "Grey, black or dark green?"

He just stood there and she huffed. "Green it is. It'll match your eyes," she commented, stuffing the other two sets back into the cabinet.

Instead of crawling over the bed this time, she walked round it. "I'm afraid I can't do anything in way of underwear and shoes for you, but these are most definitely better than that flimsy thing."

Rachel was trying to keep her nerves in tack. She was standing in front of an extremely handsome stranger who clearly had little recollection presently and her heart went out to him as her eyes kept moving to soak in what she could of him. He looked like he needed a friend more than anything and a friend was what she was going to be until she had to leave and he was discharged.

She held the jacket and pants out to him and saw him move to take them only to recoil each time. Rachel waved them a little in her hands, smiling warmly at him. Wounded animal he most definitely was. "You can take 'em..." she trailed off suddenly.

Oh dear she thought. I don't even know his name. Does he know his name?

"Sorry, but in all the confusion over the last few hours, I forget to ask; what's your name?"

She noticed his eyes dart from the clothes in her hands to her face and a guarded look suddenly flashed through his eyes.

Silence passed between them before he spoke: "My name is Loki."

There was a pregnant pause. Rachel cocked one fine eyebrow at him. "Your name is Loki?" He nodded. Something about the look on his weary face almost made Rachel want to believe him but the idea of him being named after a god of lies and mischief just seemed too farfetched.

"And you are Rachel, the woman who helped me," he remarked after a few minutes of more lingering silence.

She blushed slightly. The way he said her name so smoothly as though his tongue was laced with honey made her heart beat race a little quicker for no reason. "Yes, I'm Rachel and the woman who helped you."

He inclined his head to the side for a mere second and before Rachel realized what he was planning, he had slipped the hospital gown from his body. She acted on mere impulse and shoved the clothes towards him; eyes wide and cheeks aflame. Yes, she had seen him naked when she had found him but that was different. Now he was fully awake and... and...

_My word he is fine_ she thought as her eyes slipped over a lean but muscular torso and sinewy arms.

She inwardly slapped herself at the fact she was still standing there staring at him as he held the clothes over his crotch.

"I'll uh- I'll just- turn round so- so you can get dressed," she stuttered and turned about so she was facing the wall. Biting her lip and rolling her eyes skywards, Rachel listened to the sound of rustling clothes. No longer facing him and her mind still on the sight of his physique, Rachel decided she needed to distract herself and fast.

"Loki, I mean no offense by my next question but were your parents stoned when they named you?" she inquired.

* * *

><p>Loki paused amidst pulling the mortal clothing on and frowned at the woman's back. This Rachel was quite strange.<p>

He recalled the small bits of what he could remember of her finding him and noted that she had not seemed to mind him without any clothes on then.

Maybe mortals were more old-fashioned than he had originally thought?

He remembered Hoenir speaking of how mortal women no longer waited until marriage before climbing into bed with a man.

And yet, this Rachel woman seemed to be quite embarrassed by his apparent lack of clothing. Maybe, she was not one of the mortal women who did such things.

He tightened the laces of the pants she had given him in order to keep them from sliding off his hips, frowning at the things and missing his own clothes.

Loki froze as she asked her question and then scowled. Rather than delve on his anger now over the idea of parents; he did what he knew how to do best. He lied. "I am not sure, Rachel. Perhaps they just enjoyed the tales of myth and legend greatly."

Mortals were so easy when it came to sating their curiosity he noted as she nodded and murmured an okay.

With the question answered and silence blanketing them, Loki studied his surroundings with keen interest.

The room they were in was quite large and cold, though nowhere near as cold as he himself; the door was twelve paces behind him; two beds were backed up against the left wall, small cabinets seemed to be the preferred way of storing things within here as there were quite a few scattered about and on the right side of the room there was a closed door. It was very bare for a mortal abode.

His eyes then moved towards the woman with her back to him. Loki's curiosity peaked as to why she had helped him and who she was.

No creature; Aesir, Jotunn, animal or man ever did anything without expecting something in return, he knew this and he knew it well.

So what did this woman want in payment for helping him?

* * *

><p>Rachel bounced slightly on the spot, fixating her gaze on the wall before her, huffing slightly in impatience. How long did it take him to get dressed?<p>

Had he lost motor function on the way that doing such a simple task was too much for him? She bit her tongue at how mean she was being towards the man in her mind.

The door opened suddenly and Rachel realized it was safe to turn around when the nurse did not have a slight panic attack at a naked man as she herself had done. Why he had not told her she could was beyond her, she wasn't that bad to look at- was she?

So naked he looked fine but in dark green- She inwardly let out a breath of pent-up frustration trying her best not to act awkward.

How was it legal for a man to look so gorgeous in only a pair of hospital track pants and a jacket? If only she looked half as good as he did in such simple clothing she might actually have a date once in a while.

"Alright, I just need you to fill out this paperwork and we'll have to work out a way of contacting someone so they can pay for the bill," the nurse told Loki who Rachel noted frowned deeply, as though what she was saying made no sense to him.

"Very well," he said, taking the paper work from the nurse who told him to hand it over to the front desk once he had filled it all out.

* * *

><p>Loki glanced down at the "paperwork" as he placed it upon the bed. What strange things these mortals were. So many simple things were so complex. This gave him the opportune moment however to test his powers out on the "nurse" he would be speaking to next. If he had his powers, he would be able to avoid details by tricking her into believing everything was sorted out.<p>

Yes, she would be a perfect subject to test his abilities out-

"Well-"

His thoughts were interrupted by the soft voice and he turned his attention to the dark-haired woman near him. Why wait to test his abilities when the perfect subject stood barely four foot from him?

Loki also saw this as a way of finding out what she wanted from him. If he could see into her mind, then he would know everything without prying and having her question him in return. Was she a Valkyrie in disguise? He almost laughed out loud at the idea of such a timid creature being kin to the likes of Brunhilde.

No. A Valkyrie, she most certainly was not.

"Yes?" he inquired after a few moments of silence.

"I- I guess you're alright on your own from here," she remarked and he nodded.

"Yes, thank you Rachel for your help," he said in earnest, holding his hand out to the woman; to see within the mind of a mortal, one needed to have physical contact with them much to his distaste.

He watched as her hand slowly slipped into his. She made to shake his hand however he raised it to his lips and pressed them to the back of it, smiling at the blush that adorned the woman's cheeks. She was quite different to the mortal women in the stories he had heard of.

Focusing on using his powers to read her mind, he inwardly cheered in triumph as he picked up on weak thoughts and memories and other small things.

However, his triumph was short-lived when his head suddenly began throbbing and sharp pains attacked his mind. Groaning as he clutched at his temples, Loki heard the woman move closer and took a step backwards, not wishing for the contact of the mortal for fear the pain would only intensify.

"I'm fine," he growled.


	5. Chapter 4

**So I got this up as quick as possible which was so not easy this past week. To the anon review, the fanfic is not a liar and neither am I. My fanfic stories are currently the least of my priority at the moment. I write to them as much as possible and when I say I might have something up in a set time, it is not a promise but merely a time I hope to have it written in; things don't always work out that well though for me.**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Don't forget to hit that nice little button that comes after the chapter, I love knowing what you all think.**

**And I have to say a massive thanks to my lovely Beta; Amethyst Crow. She is beyond awesome and so, so helpful. **

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR<strong>

Rachel did not believe him for one minute but she stood back from him, not wishing to crowd him. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked timidly, moving to pick up the glass on the table at the bed side.

He took it from her without a polite thank you but she didn't hold it against him, he was in pain; manners were of little importance or propriety.

Watching him gulp down the water, her eyes followed the hollow of his throat as it tightened with each drink.

_Oh my..._ she thought, reddening somewhat at the sudden thought of licking the very expanse of skin she was staring at. _What am I thinking? He is probably married. No man this good looking could be single- right?_

Her track of thought was interrupted when he shoved the glass back into her hand and sat back on the edge of the bed, clutching his the glass down on and took a step closer to him.

She slowly took hold of his hands and pulled them down, replacing them with her own. Running her fingers softly over his temples, she watched as his features relaxed; lessening the harsh lines that made him look as though he was about ready to destroy the next person he saw.

"You may need to take it easy for a few days," she commented, "especially if you don't want the pain you're getting now or collapsing."

* * *

><p>Loki frowned. Such a comforting gesture from a mortal was quite foreign, especially to the god of mischief. Acts of such tenderness had rarely been bestowed upon him unless they were directly from his mother- from Queen Frigga.<p>

The fact that this mortal woman was clearly trying to alleviate his pain in her own way and without prompting to do so made him even more curious about her. Bold as Fandral had long spoken of the female sex being, this woman was more like a tentative healer in the infirmary tending to her first patient.

He found that with her soft ministrations, the pain within his head did begin to lessen. Amazed how such a simple act could fight off pain like he had experienced made him wonder just who was the more advanced of the humans and Aesir. While his kind used magic to tend their ailments and injuries; mortals were not able to do so and had to rely on remedies found or created and even then those things did not always work.

Bringing a hand up, mindful not to try and tap into her thoughts again, he placed it over one of hers and pulled it away from his temple slowly.

"I believe the pain has lessened," he muttered out. His pride was somewhat wounded by this mortal seeing him in such a weakened and broken state. He was not a weak person and disliked others seeing him as such for he knew that they would take advantage of it should they be able to.

_A state which he had brought solely upon yourself_ a voice in his mind chided.

"I'm glad." Rachel's voice pierced the silence and he turned his gaze from the floor and up to her. "And don't worry; mum is the word about the little episode."

He frowned, utterly confused by what she had said.

_What in Nornheim is she on about? Mum is the word? Little episode?_

Loki tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth; about to ask her what she meant however the door opened and the nurse from earlier rushed in and placed the paperwork he was supposed to fill out on the table on the opposite side of the bed.

She gave him a harsh look, one he found similar to Sif's scolding glance that day in the throne room. Those looks had haunted him through his years on Asgard but now he was on Midgard, he was not going to stand for some pitiful mortal giving him such a look.

"Leave," he snapped and saw her eyes widen in surprise. She darted out of the room quicker than Thor chased a pretty skirt. He chuckled, amused by how easily frightened mortals could be.

"That wasn't very nice."

He stopped and glanced towards the mortal woman who he found was fixing him with a stern up from the bed and brushed past her, moving curiously towards the paperwork that he was required to fill out in order to leave this infernal place.

* * *

><p>He walked with a regal air about him, Rachel thought absently as she sidestepped to avoid being shoved by him. Clearly he had been brought up spoilt and over privileged.<p>

She glanced at her phone to check the time. Seeing it was four in the morning Rachel decided she should head back up to her mother and no doubt rescue Andrew from her constant chatter.

Digging her hands into her pockets, she cleared her throat a little gaining the attention of the stranger who was looking over the discharge papers before her- a frown ceasing his otherwise beautiful features.

He looked up and Rachel smiled a little at him. "Well, you're all sorted, so I'm gonna head back up to where I should be before my friend tries to cut off his ears to save himself from my mother's incessant talking," she remarked, crinkling her nose at the idea and laughing a little.

"Very well, I no longer require your aid, you may do as you wish," he told her and Rachel for a second thought it sounded as though he were some king or prince telling a servant what to do.

She frowned at the thought but approached him and held out one hand. "It was nice meeting you even under the circumstances and I hope things pick up for you and that there will be no more naked romps on the side of the road anytime soon for you," she said, cheeks heating a little at remembering him as bare as the day he was born.

Seeing Loki glancing at her hand and then back up, she expected him to just ignore her but was somewhat surprised when he inclined his head to her in yet another very kingly manner and took her hand in his gently.

She inwardly squeaked as the cold of his hand enclosed around her warm one. His lips brushed over her knuckles again, earning yet another deep blush from her and she shouted to herself to act normal and not like a goof in front of him.

"Thank you for your help, Rachel, not all are kind enough to aid a stranger," he said as he released her hand and turned back to the papers.

She nodded stiffly, in awe of his way with words and how smoothly they rolled off his tongue. "You- You're welcome, Loki," she murmured back, feeling somewhat small before him. Turning, Rachel quickly left knowing that if she didn't get out of there she would be silly enough to ask him to read a book to her just so she could listen to his voice some more.

* * *

><p>Before heading back up to her mother's rooms, Rachel swung by the reception desk and left her details and card information for them to charge Loki's stay for. She knew he had nothing on him so at least when he came to pay, he wouldn't need to worry about anything.<p>

With her mother in safe hands, Rachel decided that heading back up to New York would be the best option so that neither she nor Andrew would have to deal with her mother's complaints about being stuck in hospital.

As they headed for the elevator, Andrew slipped an arm about Rachel's shoulders. "So tell me, sweet pea, how was our tall, pale and handsome roadside passenger? You were gone a while," he remarked.

Rachel grinned a little at the description of him. "Awake and quite happily terrorizing the public health workers," she told him with a shrug, "He said his name was Loki and he spoke with the strangest accent and way with words I've ever heard. It- It was like he was stuck back in the time of propriety and manners."

Andrew stopped suddenly. "Did you say his name was Loki?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded. "Yeah, he did. Why people pick such weird names for their kids is beyond me, I mean you think about it- the poor guy is named after a trickster god who nearly destroys the world on a number of occasions; who- who gave birth to an eight-legged horse even!"

Rachel paused in her ranting when she noticedAndrewlaughing madly at her. "What, is so amusing Andy?" she inquired.

"You are!" he cackled. "You are going on about weird names and yet you always go on about how much you would've loved your parents to give you something weird instead of _just plain _Rachel."

She pulled a face at him and slapped his arm. "Oh be quiet!" she muttered, hitting the down button on the pad beside the elevator. The doors slid open with a ding and they stepped inside. "What I meant was, don't you think it is somewhat strange that he was out on the roadside in nothing but his skin?"

Andrew sobered up. "I do think it is strange but hey, debt collectors have weird ways of working, maybe he had a run-in with some of that type and they-"

"But there isn't a scratch on him!" she interrupted. "If they were what put him there, wouldn't you think he'd be all bloodied up and have a few broken bones or bad injuries?"

At that reasoning, her friend didn't say anything. "Maybe it was a prank. You know how people play those really harsh pranks on their friends for their birthdays?"Andrew offered with a shrugged.

Rachel shook her head. "Aren't those pranks a little more for humiliation and laugh factor and not dumping said birthday boy out in the middle of nowhere?"

Andrewhuffed. "I give up; I don't know what could have happened to him and if he doesn't remember himself than we'll never find out. Let's us forget about the "where he came from part", he is fine and so we don't need to worry about him anymore."

She nodded and leaned back against Andre was they waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor.

* * *

><p>Loki knew the pain that using his magic would bring on but sometimes one had to endure pain in order to keep pushing forwards. When the nurse returned, Loki had not filled them out and he had no intention of doing so.<p>

He held them out to her, his magic slipping over the pages and straight onto the her that everything was in order and he was ready to leave. She explained that she did not take the papers but he had to speak with the man on the reception desk near the front doors and give them to him. A dull ache began in his temples as his magic kept hold of the woman's mind but he shook it off.

Nodding, he followed the woman out into the hall and listened as she directed him towards the reception desk.

Though he disliked mortals and found them a mere subservient race to the likes of him, Loki was faced with the brutal and cruel reality that he was stuck among them, acting as one- at least until he regained his powers.

When he reached the reception desk, Loki just stood there as the man spoke through a strange device to an entirely invisible person that was clearly speaking back to him. He tilted his head to the side a little in curiosity at the contraption wondering what sort of science or magic had created the thing.

"Alright buddy, I need your name and the papers you filled out," he said suddenly, looking right at Loki.

Despite being somewhat thrown off by being called _buddy_, Loki handed the papers over and used his magic again, this time the dull ache began a mild throbbing around his temples and across the back of his head.

The man looked down at the papers for a moment and then he glanced back up as he spoke: "Right, you're the guy who the pretty little dark-haired girl was paying for," he remarked and Loki became even more confused. Mortals were quite strange and confusing to the trickster who merely lifted one shoulder, not knowing what else to say. "A Rachel Dawlish, she said you had nothing on you so I was to charge it to her card."

He almost couldn't believe that the mortal woman had again thrown him off and done something so kind. Glancing round and finding the place to be of minimal occupancy, he leaned a little over the counter. "I would like the living quarters of Rachel Dawlish," he said, a plan forming in his clouded and aching head.

The man shook his head. "Sorry dude, can't give out people's details to just anybody."

Rolling his eyes, Loki twisted his hand in the smallest of gestures and watched as the man's eyes brightened to a shade similar to his own. He smirked through his pain. "Her details," he commanded and saw the man nodded quickly before fiddling around with some things on the desk.

After a few moments, he held a piece of paper out to the tricksters who did not even thank him.

He turned and strode towards the exit, or strode as well as he could while fighting off the pain in his head. Stepping out into the early morning sun was somewhat of a relief to the trickster as he leaned his head up towards it and closed his eyes momentarily.

Of one thing he was grateful for in that moment and that was his survival. With it came a strange ache to exact havoc upon the realm of men who would take the force of his anger. Since waking, he had felt a pull towards some strong energy but it was some distance away and he knew that presently, travelling such distances was out of his limits. When he recovered his strength and power, then he would put his plans into motion.

These mortals would be his to rule whether they were willing or not and once he had acquired the power needed, nothing would be able to easily defeat him.

As he lowered his head, a smirk grew on his face at the thought of being king of Midgard; master of an ant-like race of subordinates who would tremble at the mere whisper of his voice and kneel in submission when in his presence.

His first order of business though was to find the mortal woman Rachel.


	6. LAST NOTE BEFORE NEW CHAPTERS AND FICS

Hey all,

Sorry for no updates- I promise you they are being worked on and nothing has been abandoned so just hold in there if you're still hanging about waiting for updates from any of my work. With that in mind I am working on fixing Breathe up as in the last few months I have progressed greatly with my writing abilities. My homepage link is actually to direct you to the official wordpress for the story.

I today had a person wish to use my version of Sigyn for their own when they read her backstory and information on my deviantArt under Sigyn's head shot. Because of this, if anyone notes a similarity between UNCONDITIONALLY, which is to have its first chapter posted this weekend, and another fic that might pop up please do not label me a thief as the information/character/history/etc is all mine.

I posted Sigyn's head shot on dA in November, 2011.

I have spent many hours, days, weeks, months (nearly 12 to be exact) on creating not only Sigyn but the timeline which occurs in the story and surrounding stories; ie Baldur's storyline.

I have blended a mixture of myth, stories and such and such to make a very real fantasy realm which is my most prized of realms currently.

I wanted to address this because I don't like being labelled a thief of my own hard work.

Kat

PS I will be deleting these notes when updates are ready to go up.


	7. Chapter 5

**Hey all my lovely ones- guess who's back, back, back?! I finally got my ass into gear, I have been having a hard time since starting school in February and honestly I forgot how much I missed my fanfictions. I have a new account for a new batch of works based in the Batman: Dark Knight Trilogy fandom and are JOKER centric fics. My first story up is **Dawn of the Triad** and my penname is **queenofthecards** so go check it out and let me know! The first two chapters are rough and missing a few bits and pieces as I have finally grounded my idea but without a beta I sort have to go back and really work on them.**

**Music listened to while writing lately: Emphatic's What Are You Afraid Of, Pride, Do I. Five Finger Death Punch's Far From Home, Coming Down, The Bleeding, Remember Everything and My Darkest Days' Perfect and Every Lie. I encourage you to check those three bands out if you've never heard of them.**

**I also am still working on Unconditionally the main story of Sigyn's Temptation for Loki/Sigyn and Bittersweet Fandral/OC.**

****Anyway my lovelies, I hope you enjoy this new and very late chapter. I humbly beg for forgiveness. Reviews are welcomed with much love and virtual cookies. The support for this fic has surprisingly not dwindled and you have no idea how much I love all my readers, reviewers, favouriters, etc. You are my rock.****

**Enough with my rambling, on with the chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

When she stepped through her apartment door and kicked her shoes off, Rachel's mind was still half side-tracked by the memory of Loki. The distraction caused her to almost run into the hallway table. Just a few hours past from parting ways with him at the hospital and she was still wondering if it had been the best idea leaving him there on his own.

All she could think about was what had happened to him. Though he didn't seem to recall even the most basic of details aside from his name, Loki looked like he'd had everything shattered about him. He'd resembled a lost puppy looking for a home or somewhere to fit in.

_If only I could've taken such a handsome stray in,_ she mused, before telling herself she sounded like a complete fool.

What if he was a killer on the run? No, she scratched that idea quickly for the simple fact being no one in the hospital had recognised him. It wouldn't seem logical that anyone on the run for murder would go unnoticed-

"Ahh!" she whined, smacking her cheek lightly as she collapsed onto the couch in the living room. An arm covered her eyes as her body sunk into the cool cushions.

"What's wrong with you?" Andrew grunted as he nudged the door shut with his foot, arms filled with their bags.

Huffing, she raised herself up and leaned against the back of the couch. "I can't stop thinking that maybe I should have helped him more. You know, like found out if he had any family that he could've gone and stayed with. I just-"

"Stop fretting girl, he'll be fine I'm sure of it," Andrew interrupted as he dumped the bags down behind the couch. He playfully fell over the back of it, landing in her lap.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck as they sat there in silence for a few moments. As soon as she became content cuddling her friend from behind, Loki popped into her head.

Rachel sighed, letting go of Andrew as she spoke, "I can't. I feel terrible. Terrible as in I just saw the most adorable puppy with the saddest eyes in the pet shop window and didn't bring him home."

Andrew chuckled. "Oh so he is an adorable puppy with sad eyes?"

Realising just how she had described Loki, Rachel felt her cheeks turn bright red in embarrassment. "Well, sort of," she mumbled and saw Andrew grin broadly, prompting her to hit him across the shoulder. "Well he did!"

She thought back to those wide, haunting pale-green eyes and wished she had brought him with her, just so she could stare into those beautiful eyes whenever she liked.

"Look, Rach, don't feel bad in the least, alright? I am sure he will be more than fine," Andrew remarked.

Exhausted by the events of last night and earlier that morning, she was in no mood for weak reassurances. "You know he kissed my hand-twice!" she squeaked. "It was like it was so natural to him. I couldn't believe it."

"Are you for real?" She nodded. "Damn!"

"I know," she remarked. "It was so strange and yet so, I don't know, attractive in a classic Jane Austen or Alexandre Dumas type of way. He didn't even need to do it."

Andrew laughed and shook his head. "How 'bout some tea, darlin'?" he inquired in a very fake British accent which made her giggle.

"Tea would be wonderful, my love," she replied, in just as fake of an accent and watched as he got up and headed for the kitchen.

She wriggled back down onto the couch and sighed, hands clenching together as she tried to think of something to take her mind off her guilt of just leaving Loki on his own.

* * *

><p>Loki felt his head spin for the umpteenth time and he fought hard to keep himself conscious. His powers were so weak that even the smallest amount of use left him drenched from head to toe in sweat and beyond exhausted. His body was aching in places he didn't know existed, that he felt like he had no bones to support himself.<p>

With his head lulled to the side against the back of the seat, Loki was barely awake enough to watch the mortal world passing by him.

"How much further?" he inquired of the driver.

Finding such a mode of transport hadn't been too difficult once he had seen the mortals' way of obtaining it. With a simple whistle, he had achieved a way of getting around until he could regain the full extent of powers.

"Not very far sir, about ten minutes."

He grimaced. Such slow form of transportation irritated him with great disdain. It was no wonder the race of men were so slow in their advancements over the ages.

Loki was only looking forward to one thing at the end of this long, arduous trip: seeing the mortal woman Rachel Dawlish. He had not been intrigued by mortals and their ways for centuries, but Rachel…she was another story.

* * *

><p>Andrew left after making her some tea due to his phone ringing non-stop. His partner was a very impatient person and did not exactly like that Rachel got all of Andrew's time, should she need it.<p>

She now sat on the floor before her numerous DVD cabinets, ready to curl up and watch a movie before she collapsed into bed and had to face work tomorrow.

The storm from last night had returned but with must less force than it had previously held, thankfully that meant the power would stay on. It made noon feel like it was almost midnight. It was absolutely beautiful in her opinion.

Sitting with her feet crossed under her, Rachel scanned her mass array of films. Each section of her DVD cabinet was organized by genre or a certain studio that produced it. For example all her Disney films were in a cabinet together and alphabetized while her television series' were in another cabinet and as she looked over them, she decided on what she wanted to watch.

Xena: Warrior Princess.

Smiling at the memories that brought back of her trying to do flips and kicks around her home as a girl, Rachel opened up the cabinet and pulled out the first season's case.

As she stood up and opened her DVD player, she heard the buzzer go off for downstairs. Frowning, she figured Andrew much have forgotten something and headed into the hallway to the intercom.

Pressing the button, she answered.

"Hey Andy, did you leave something behind?" she snickered, unable to pass up an opportunity to tease him. "Or are you on the lamb from your boy toy and wanna hide out here for the day as was planned?"

Silence met her and she frowned, pressing the intercom again. "Helloooooo," she called. "Andrew, are you there?"

After a few more seconds, a voice came through the intercom. Only it wasn't Andrew's. _"Is this Rachel Dawlish?"_ The voice was weak and low.

Her heart almost stopped in her chest. "No, it couldn't be," she said aloud, not realising until two seconds after that she had her finger still on the intercom button, making her smack her head into the wall beside the contraption.

_"Couldn't be what?"_

Oh there was that ever so nice accent.

With a sigh, she glanced back to the intercom.

"Is that you, Loki?" she inquired, quite slowly so she knew that she was most definitely speaking the words.

There was a pregnant silence. _"Yes."_

She almost squeaked. How in the hell did he get her address? How did he even get from Boston to New York when he had no money on him?

"How- how did you find me?" she asked, stuttering out the question as she thought of the spooky possibilities that suddenly popped into her overactive imagination.

_"The man at the hospital was quite nice in handing your location over when I asked him to."_

She was startled. They gave him her address? Since when did they give out people's personal details? "He just handed it over because you asked? They normally don't give things like that to people just because they ask."

_"I might have told one little white lie."_

She leaned her head against the wall near the intercom and shut her eyes. That voice. No matter whether it was hoarse and croaky or smooth or filled with the vibe of childlike mischief, it was simply divine to listen to even through an intercom. She honestly would even equate it to the sound of pure sex. Oh god... with that one simple thought her mind conjured up a whole slew of images of the impossibly handsome stranger describing all the naughty things he wanted to do to her in that low, erotic accent and those long, slender fingers tracing the curve of her spine.

Cracking an eye open, she sighed and glanced out the window at the other end of the hall.

"Damn."

It was pouring outside. She knew, from personal experience, that where the intercoms were on the building there was no shelter. The poor man was probably standing out in the rain. "Loki, why did you come to New York?"

There was no answer and she wondered if he had disappeared to seek out some shelter from the bad weather.

Oh how wrong she was. _"I came because I require your help. More to the point, you are the only person who I believe I can trust until I regain my memories of who I truly am."_

She looked at the intercom and felt her heart sink. He sounded so lost and lonely. Rachel had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that this whole situation was weird, even for her.

Her mind was telling her to send him to a hotel but somehow she had trouble believing they would accommodate him without any identification or cash.

Sighing, she pressed the button again. "Loki I don't know what I can do to help you," she told him.

Her mind was telling her that she could let him stay with her but imagine what all her neighbours would do and say.

_"Allow me to stay with you, please."_

Biting her lip, she glanced between the intercom and the window. "Loki-" she started but he cut her off.

_"Please Rachel. I really don't wish to stand out in this rain any longer than necessary and I have already spoken to the quite unfriendly occupants of this building leading me to believe that you are the only decent person I am able to find help in."_

Rachel sighed heavily and even though her mind was telling her that this idea was beyond stupid and she would regret it sooner rather than later, she pressed the intercom button. "I'll come down and get you, give me a minute."

* * *

><p>Loki stood before the living quarters that were presumably Rachel Dawlish's. The taxi driver had already left, his mind completely wiped of his meeting with Loki. The building before him was tall and bland and as he inspected the list of numbers that lined the right side of the building near the door, Loki wondered how mortals could live in such ugly and stale abodes.<p>

He had discovered that he was not able to merely open the door and walk in but had to apparently press a button and gain a person's permission to be let in as he had watched a mere child walk up and do only moments ago. He cursed his weakened abilities. If he was at full strength he'd have no problem in simply waving his hand and have the door to the building unlocked without any hassle.

He wished he could use his powers in that moment to simply gain access but after the mass amount of energy it had taken him to just hold power over the taxi driver, Loki did not want to risk completely draining himself and collapsing out in the open.

Which button though would give him access to speak with Rachel?

He ducked his head into the collar of the clothing he wore and pressed what he gathered was the fifth button and held his finger on it. After a moment or two, a disgruntled voice came from the other end and he startled. Mortal technology was extremely intriguing.

_"What do you want?"_

Loki frowned at the tone of the man's voice but replied nonetheless knowing this would be the only way he would find out which domain was Rachel's. "I'm looking for a Rachel Dawlish."

_"Yeah, well yer got the wrong apartment buddy."_ There was that term buddy again. Did mortals just throw the term around so casually all the time? Despite the fact that he clearly was not anyone's buddy.

He sneered at the contraption. Mortal people were rude.

"Would you know which apartment I require then?"

_"Try number seven, I think that's her."_ The intercom cut off suddenly and Loki frowned at the crude and disgruntled man that he had clearly just been conversing with. He had no doubt that if he knew just exactly who it was he was dealing with then he never would have spoken in such a manner. But Loki couldn't linger on such trivial little things at the moment.

He shrugged it off, they would learn soon enough. Pressing the seventh button, he waited for someone to answer.

Her voice was even silkier through the strange contraption than it was in person. Loki drew up the nerve and the words in his mind before he responded to her query with one of his own. "Is this Rachel Dawlish?" If only by her voice, Loki already knew it was her, but he wished to appeal to this mortal's kindness to the fullest extent.

"_No, it couldn't be."_

He frowned. "Couldn't be what?" He was confused then. Did she not remember him? Was this mortal lacking in short term memory?

"_Is that you, Loki?"_

Loki wanted to nod and then realised with some irritation that this contraption could not allow people to see one another and then spoke back into it: "Yes."

"_How- how did you find me?"_

He wanted to chuckle at her question and simply say that he was a god with mind control capabilities over the weak but bit his silver tongue, staying off the sarcastic response for a more suitable one. "The man at the hospital was quite nice in handing your location over when I asked him to."

"_He just handed it over because you asked? They normally don't give things like that to people just because they ask."_

Loki realised then what his mistake was. Yes, of course. He quickly covered himself. "I might have told one little white lie."

He was the silver tongue after all and a very wet one at the moment. He sent a silent curse to Thor in that moment as lightning pierced the sky followed by a crack of thunder.

"_Loki, why did you come to New York?"_

He paused. Why had he come to this city? He had come because she was the only mortal he deemed helpful at the present time and whether Loki liked his situation or not, he had no other option but to seek refugee with her.

"I came because I require your help. More to the point, you are the only person who I believe I can trust until I regain my memories of who I truly am," he remarked in earnest, seeping a hand through his now soaked hair and pushing it back from his forehead.

"_Loki I don't know what I can do to help you." _

Such a stubborn little mortal he thought with some amusement.

"Allow me to stay with you, please."

"_Loki-"_

"Please Rachel. I really don't wish to stand out in this rain any longer than necessary and I have already spoken to the quite unfriendly occupants of this building leading me to believe that you are the only decent person I am able to find help in."

The plus side to staying with the mortal woman was, he could always use the disgruntled occupants of the surrounding mini-homes as targets when his powers began to come back to him.

There was only silence and Loki began to wonder if his silver tongue had just failed him in his greatest moment of need.

"_I'll come down and get you, give me a minute."_

Obviously not he thought with a wicked smile.


	8. Chapter 6

**I have a ton of time on my hands these days. A week ago – I left film school; not because I was unable to do the course but because of the addicts, drunks and egotistical jerks who were in my grade and the fact I had my set ruined because of them and in turn then had my writing abilities torn to shreds by an ignorant teacher.**

**I am currently hooking myself into full time fiction writing under my real name and a pseudonym name so hopefully before Christmas I'll have the first draft of a novel ready. **

**Anyway, because I am getting back into my writing, my fanfictions are going to have a lot more frequent updating nowadays so that's a bonus. **

**Breathe, Tear the World Down and Unconditionally of my Loki fics especially and a little side project called Bittersweet starring Fandral and the Dark Elves are the main things I'll be updating for now. I will also be hopefully publishing Breathing Slowly and Dawn of the Triad soon which are both Joker fanfiction works and under the penname queenofthecards.**

**Hope you enjoy Chapter Six of Breathe and the new pacing.**

**Remember to drop a review, I enjoy hearing feedback from my readers.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

Rachel stepped into her ugg boots; tugging them up her calves before grabbing her keys off the side table and making a dash for the door. She froze with her hand wrapped round the handle and swore as she remembered the weather outside and quickly headed for the closet in the hallway to grab a towel for her new resident.

She felt terrible for leaving him out in the rain and wanted him in and out of the harsh elements before he wound up sick, even if that meant running downstairs in her pyjamas which was nothing more than a pair of short boxers and an old ripped band t-shirt.

Skipping the elevator, renowned for its sluggish ascent, she took two steps at a time down the stairs.

On the third floor, Rachel only just managed to dodge the Wolowski kids who played hockey in the hall of an afternoon once school was out and the weather prevented outside activity. They tried to get her to stay and join them but she had to decline, apologizing and promising them she would play another day.

Reaching the ground floor she jumped the four remaining steps and smiled when she didn't trip on the land and fall face first to the ground.

As she neared the front doors, she slowed herself down and drew in a deep breath, reminding herself that while she was crazy for letting this happen, it was the right thing.

Pushing the door open, Rachel was met with a rush of bitter cold wind and shivered before stepped through the threshold and into the horrible weather.

* * *

><p>Loki heard the door open. He mentally berated the mortal for how slow she was. If he had his teleporting capabilities he would've been in her home within the mere blink of an eye. Yet he was reduced to having to wait for her to come down and collect him. With his arms wrapped round himself, a poor attempt at shielding himself from the weather, Loki understood why mortals were so quick to fall ill upon Midgard; their pathetic flesh could not withstand the elements like his true form could.<p>

His body was shivering uncontrollably each second and he made a note to find himself suitable clothing for protection as soon as he was capable of doing so.

Turning, he faced Rachel; his mortal rescuer and stopped.

Did all women of Midgard wear such revealing clothing?

He berated himself for allowing his eyes to wander over exposed legs and the bare hints of her mid-section through the rips and tears of her shirt.

Such a fit little mortal he noted with peaked interest. She was certainly different to the women he usually consorted with back on Asgard.

She stepped forward and he noticed her flesh react in the same way his had to the cold weather as she was assaulted by the rain; little bumps formed over her bare skin and he realised that it was a natural reaction and not him having some unknown problem that his Asgardian form usually did not suffer.

Without saying a word to him, nor ask his permission, she wrapped a large towel around his shoulders and ushered him into the confines of the building.

The interior of the building was significantly warmer and drier and though he would not admit it aloud, Loki was rather grateful for the towel's soft warmth.

Rachel turned to face him after pressing a button with an arrow pointing skywards on the wall near a set of strange looking doors; or what he assumed to be doors. Midgard was so different to Asgard that Loki felt that everything foreign to him was a new discovery. That and it kept him distracted from ogling the mortal woman's exposed skin.

"You spoke to other people in the building?"

He glanced at her then and nodded, pushing his hair back from his forehead. "A surly old man; quite crude and abrupt. Certainly helpful, albeit reluctantly."

Loki was slightly taken back when Rachel suddenly began rubbing her temples and scowling at the floor.

"Floor eight, mister Schiller," she said, as though his word had posed a question that she had needed to answer. "He's a drunk widower; normally likes to talk only when he is pissed off his head, wanting someone to keep him company, or help him down to the corner store."

Loki merely watched in amusement as she began to mumble under her breath.

Such a strange mortal he thought, inwardly chuckling as he took in the tapping foot and folded arms of irritation on Rachel. So open and animated.

* * *

><p>The doors of the elevator slid open and Rachel stepped in. Loki followed and she hit the button for the seventh floor. The silence in the elevator wasn't as awkward as she'd thought it might have been. Every so often she would sneak a glance over at Loki and saw him huddling further into the towel.<p>

She needed to get him into a warm shower and somehow quick dry his clothes for him. There was nothing in her drawers that would fit him and she doubted a man would want to walk around in female attire – outside of the Halloween or ComicCon celebrations, that is.

As the elevator reached the seventh floor, Rachel exited and headed for her apartment, listening to the squelching of Loki's feet across the hall carpet.

He wasn't even wearing shoes. She definitely needed to get him warm and dry or she'd be babysitting a sick amnesiac before tomorrow morning rolled round.

Unlocking and pushing open the door of her apartment, Rachel glanced over her shoulder to the shivering and drenched man at her back. "Home sweet home," she beamed and stepped in, holding the door open for him.

She watched patiently and with slight amusement as he cautiously stepped in and started glancing everywhere and anywhere his eyes could land. "It ain't much but, well, it's a place to put my feet up," she commented and saw him nod absently.

Shutting the door, Rachel ducked past Loki and headed for the hall closet again and opened it. She pulled out two more towels before turning to look at her new roommate. He was standing in the front hallway, watching her, his hands fisted into the towel wrapped round his shoulders as he shook from the cold.

"I don't want you getting sick on me so I figured the best thing for you first up is a nice warm shower," she said, smiling at him and noticed his head tilt to the side slightly. Losing her smile, Rachel's mind began to wonder just how much of his memory he had lost as he looked like he didn't even know what a shower was.

Deciding not to brooch the subject for now, Rachel merely told him to follow her and lead him into her en-suite in her bedroom. The bathroom was well-spaced; it wasn't cramped or dirty, there was a shower that could fit three people in it on the far wall from the door, a heavy cluttered vanity was on the left wall and on the right next to the toilet was a rack for towels.

She pushed some of her things back off the edge of the vanity and set the two towels down on it before turning to face Loki.

* * *

><p>He was in wonderment of the mortal woman's home. It was not small like a commoners house would be back on Asgard but it was not grand and large as his rooms in the palace had been. No it was a size that seemed to fit the term cosy when he searched his mind for a word. Strange types of paintings adorned the walls; some were of Rachel with other people others were of things he didn't know.<p>

Somewhat surprised by this woman's simplicity and relieved by it at the same time, Loki followed her as she led him deeper into the home. She had said he was to have a shower. Whatever that was, he only prayed to the Norns that it consisted of hot water and soap.

Entering a room on the right on the hallway, Loki was graced with the sight of a large bed resting against the opposite wall. Drawers and selves and books decorated the room and he noted with surprise that this was her bedroom.

Was she not embarrassed to allow him into her room so freely?

The puzzle and conundrum that was the mortal woman Rachel continued to surprise him. She was unlike any woman he had known on Asgard; even Sif was not like this woman.

It was refreshing in a way to have the trust of her so easily whilst he was in such a weakened state and while he wanted to inspect the tomes and texts scattered about, he wanted to be warm first.

He headed for where he had seen Rachel disappear and was met with another new mortal room he likened to his bathroom back on Asgard. Only there was no bath. How did mortals wash themselves?

Rachel turned to face him and he saw her eyes go from his head to his toes. He wanted to scowl; he knew he looked like a poor excuse for a man, even worse for a god with power such as his.

Instead of doing so, remembering that she was his host and had done more than any mortal probably would, Loki merely stepped into the smaller room and stood in silence.

* * *

><p>Rachel wasn't much of a talker, in fact she enjoyed silence and isolation; it allowed her a place to think and create. A place of solitude where only she could escape; where her worries could be thrown out to the four winds and she could get lost in the deepest recesses of her mind. Some of her best writing happened came from that time.<p>

However, as much as she loved her solitude and the silence, her new friend not speaking was beginning to become a problem. She needed him to talk; the more he talked, the easier and less tense things might be between them.

Rachel turned the shower on, deciding that the less he had to do was probably better for him at the moment. She admittedly didn't know much about dealing with an amnesiac and even less about how they reacted to things.

Turning to face him, Rachel folded her arms over her chest and smiled a little at him. "Alright, well that should be warm enough for you. When you're undressed, just put your clothes and the towel you're wearing outside the door and I'll can get them dry before you get out."

Or you'll be walking around in a towel for a little while she thought, not entirely against such a prospect knowing how attractive he was without clothes on.

* * *

><p>Loki was amazed by the mortal contraption that Rachel had turned on. As he listened to her, his eyes followed the spray of steamy water. It was akin to the waterfalls one would find in the outskirts of Asgard only this one produced heated water intended for bathing.<p>

He was thankful that she had fixed everything for him; Loki was beyond exhausted. His body felt heavy, his eyes were barely focusing as he nodded as Rachel finished speaking.

Rachel left him to it and Loki sighed. He was still cold and wanted nothing but that warm water pouring down his body.

He dropped the towel to the ground and then proceeded to strip off the attire, remembering to place them and the wet towel on the other side of the door for Rachel.

The mirror was steamed up and he was somewhat grateful for it; he didn't need to see his reflection to know that he was bruised in numerous spots. Stepping towards the bathing device, he cautiously moved to stand beneath the spray of hot water.

The moment the hot water kissed his skin, Loki groaned in relief. It was so warm and soothing. He simply stood under the spray, letting the water beat down onto in a soft drumming. His hands were loose at his sides and he simply dropped his head forward and shut his eyes.

His mind went back over what had happened since his awakening. He wondered how long he had been up there. No doubt what he had only thought was mere days would probably have been months.

He brought a hand up to the most violent of bruises that had formed in the past few hours over his right side. A hiss escaped him as he pressed his fingers against it; definitely tender and most certainly mortal.

Sighing, Loki lifted his head and pushed his hair back as he turned his back on the water.

His anger towards Asgard had not sated, he still longed to prove them wrong and gain a world of his own; Midgard was certainly the simplest of targets and would be a conquest most relishing. Thor's love for this realm was sickening and he would make them all kneel like pitiful ants beneath his boot before the year was out.

He would make sure of it. Once he regained his full capabilities as a god, he would travel the cosmos in search of an army.

* * *

><p>Rachel laid the wet clothes over the top of her heater that sat the right corner of her kitchen opposite the benches. As she let them dry, keeping a close eye on them to make sure they didn't catch fire, Rachel padded over to the kitchen bench and grabbed the kettle. Filling it up, she set it on its base and flicked it on.<p>

Tea and soup were perfect storm food. She went about getting the few things she needed, two mugs, a teaspoon, two bowls and soup spoons. While Rachel normally just grabbed her cup-a-soups from the cupboard and ate them, she had some home cooked chicken soup in the fridge and decided it was a more appetising than the cup-a-soups.

As she fiddled, Rachel thought back on the events of the past few days and tried to work out just who Loki might possibly be. He could be a billionaire playboy who got in the wrong books of the wrong people and hence why he'd been on the side of the road, stripped naked and unconscious.

She snorted a little at how ridiculous the thought was. No, if he had been a billionaire playboy people would be out looking for him. She cracked a smile at the thought of him having an Alfred type of butler similar to Bruce Wayne's and then giggled.

At least her imagination wasn't blank.

No matter who Loki truly was, Rachel knew one thing that she was going to do when he was out of the shower and warmed up; establish ground rules and some conditions.

She knew without a doubt her bank account would suffer a rupture come tomorrow for she couldn't just left him wear that green tracksuit all the time. He needed clothes. He needed things to keep him occupied while she worked.

In the morning, she'd just call and tell work that she could work from home and all her people were to keep her updated on their projects via e-mail.

As she put the milk back in the fridge, Rachel walked back to the heater and felt the clothes. Well they were on their way. A few more minutes and the bottoms would at least be wearable and the jacket could dry better spread out more. She could give him an old sleep shirt of hers while it finished off. They were quite large on her so they may fit his slim stature. Better than him having to walk around the place in only low-riding track pants and she ogling him every waking minute.

* * *

><p><strong>Thoughts? Good? Bad? <strong>

**I'm also working on a video trailer for this story - a couple of little ones actually and wanted to ask: **

**GINNIFER GOODWIN or GEMMA ARTERTON as the face for Rachel? **

**Gemma originally was but recently I have become enamoured with Ginnifer beyond words and thought she might look like a better Rachel save for her short hair... I'm not sure -**

**What do you think?**


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